Welcome to a new academic year at the California State University. I hope that you all had an
enjoyable summer term and are joining us with renewed energy and enthusiasm for the academic year
ahead.

Those of you who are returning, as well as many of you who are new to the CSU, already know
that the CSU is one of the most amazing institutions in the country. It’s remarkable not just
because we're the largest university system or the most diverse (which we are) but because of
the work each one of you does every day.

From the faculty and lecturers who are helping our students learn and discover new ideas;
to the researchers who are finding ways to make our water safer, our businesses more competitive,
and our schools more effective; to the architects, builders, and landscapers who design and maintain
our facilities; to the experts in the financial aid and admissions offices; to the office managers
and staff; to the custodians and skilled crafts workers…All of your contributions, and those of your
many colleagues, add up to create a university system that is more accomplished than any other university
in the world.

The CSU has an impact of more than four dollars for every dollar that the state invests in it -
a claim that very few other public entities can make. We also prepare more graduates - 82,000 this
past year - who go on to succeed in California's leading industries than any other California college
or university. That’s why we say that the California State University is the university that is
"Working for California."

I was very pleased that this year’s budget provided us the funding to give pay raises to our
employees - the very people who give our university system its margin of excellence. I hope that
we can get these raises to everyone as soon as possible through the bargaining process.

One final note: I know that most of us have spent the last several days looking for ways we
can help the victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in the Gulf Coast region. In an effort
to assist college students displaced by that disaster, the CSU this fall will admit students
from Gulf Coast area colleges, as well as California students who had planned to attend a college
in that region. Individually, perhaps the best way we can help is to contribute to nationally
recognized organizations such as the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army. I also know that
our campuses also have set up a variety of aid drives, and I thank all of you for your generosity
in supporting those efforts.

You may learn more about the CSU, its impact, and our Hurricane Katrina assistance efforts
at our web site, http://www.calstate.edu. If you would
like to receive regular weekly updates on CSU news by e-mail, I invite you to sign up for the
CSU Leader newsletter at http://www.calstate.edu/csuleader/.

Thank you for all that you do for the California State University. I wish you all the best
for a fulfilling academic year ahead.